Top tips – Medical Letter for non-lucrative visa application in the UK

Applying for a visa for Spain requires resources, determination, persistence and patience.

At Upsticks, we’re learning all the time too and here are the latest tips we’ve put together to help you with the requirement we’ve had the most questions about – the Medical Certificate.

What is a Medical Certificate for a visa application?
As we explained in a previous article, the Medical Certificate is actually no more than a letter from a doctor, confirming that you are “free from any health issues detailed in the International Health Regulations of 2005.”

Most Consulates provide a template letter for you, so all the doctor  needs to do is copy the text onto practice letter headed paper, print out and sign – as simple as that.

So what’s the problem?
In the UK, some GPs have absolutely no issue with providing these Medical letters – however, not all of them are happy to do so. Why?

It’s all new – UK passport holders haven’t been asked for anything like this before, so many GPs simply don’t know what it is, what the requirements are or the implications.

‘Certificate’ means something different in the UK than it does in Spain – bit of a breakdown in communication here – all the Consulate wants to see is a letter from a doctor – which is called a Certificado in Spanish. You can see where the confusion arises …

NHS not geared up to these types of requests – You can’t pay the NHS directly for this service, which makes a request like this difficult to process. So when approaching your local GP for the letter, you made find that your request falls on deaf ears. 

Get your Medical Letters from a doctor in Spain – with a Certificate issued in Spain.
If you can’t make it to Spain, Upsticks can organise the Certificates remotely – book a call to find out more!
If you’re visiting Spain for a holiday, you can simply make the appointment at a local medical centre, and you’ll be issued with the Certificate on the spot. As part of our visa service, Upsticks can even make the appointment for you and in some areas of Spain, provide a translator to help.

You can pay a private doctor in the UK to issue the letter – there are many GMC registered private doctors who can process these Medical Letters for you. In some cases the letter can be actioned remotely without visiting the private practice. 

Smooth the path – it’s all in the preparation
If your GP/doctor in the UK is already registered with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) – the Apostille will take less time.

If your doctor isn’t registered with the FCDO, warn them that they are likely to get a call or email as part of the apostille process – tell them to check their spam and follow up regularly with them to make sure they’ve been contacted.

Talking about apostille stamps – the Stamp MUST BE affixed to the back of the ORIGINAL Medical Letter and nowhere else. This article has all you need to know about the apostille process.